Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Easy Money

I'm a stay-at-home mom and recently, I've been wanting to find ways to earn some extra money. I have friends who do MaryKay, It Works, Beach Body, and all that stuff but that's not really something I'm interested in doing (props to you guys, just not for me). Now, these aren't huge things and they won't make you tons but I just found it as an easy way to get a few dollars here and there. Plus, it helped me feel like I was contributing in some way. Here are a few of my favorite apps (and a website) to earn and save a couple of dollars!(Click on the links for downloads to the app)ShopkickShopkick is an app that gives you kicks (or points) for doing simple things like walking into a store, scanning a product, and making purchases (linking a credit/debit card--it's safe, don't worry).You get points for doing those things and can cash those points in for gift cards to Target, Walmart, Macy's, TJMaxx, Starbucks, Best Buy, Sephora, etc. It's easy and can be kind of fun going through the stores looking for the products to scan. Oh, it also alerts you to special deals or coupons as you walk into the store.Walk, scan, earn!My total earnings/savings: $100.08 (over about a year and a half)

IbottaIbotta gives you money back for things you have already purchased. Here's what you do:

Pick a store from the list.

Search product offers for your store.

Complete a task that pays (watch a quick video, view a recipe, take a poll, learn a fact, or post to your Facebook wall) to earn money in your ibotta account.

Go shopping and purchase the item in the offer.

Snap a (quality) photo of your receipt and upload it to ibotta.

Money is added to your account within 24 hours (usually in as little as an hour).

Once you’ve earned at least $5.00, choose “Withdraw Cash” from the main menu to transfer money to a PayPal account.

Buy, scan, complete task, earn!

My total earnings/savings: $23.05 (over about two weeks)

Checkout 51Checkout 51 is very, very similar to Ibotta but not as many options. Often times, the same item is on Ibotta AND Checkout 51 so I'm getting double for the same product.My total earnings/savings: $3.75 (over about two weeks)

Opinion Outpost (not available as an app)I tried surveys a few months ago and didn't feel safe doing it and was a little confused. I had a friend refer me to Opinion Outpost and said she paid for Christmas and baby stuff with the money she earned doing this.It's as simple as entering your information, answering a pre-survey (or checking your email) and take a survey! They can last anywhere from a few minutes to a half an hour (you usually get more points the longer it is). You can cash out once you hit 50 points (or $5.00) through either Paypal, Amazon gift card, iTunes gift card, or some other options. Answer questions, earn!My total earnings/savings: $22.00 (over about two weeks)Walmart Savings CatcherWalmart Savings Catcher isn't huge but again, all of these can add up! Basically, you shop at Walmart, upload your receipt and within a few days, they'll tell you if there was a better deal for an item and GIVE you the difference. Also, by uploading your receipt, they keep it on file so you always have your receipts for returns!Buy, scan, earn!My total earnings/savings: $4.03 (Again, only two weeks at this but every dollar is adding up here!)

CartwheelGood 'ol Targ. Cartwheel is not as simple as the Walmart app but it still has it's benefits. Basically, when you shop at Target and as you add items to your cart, scan them with the app to see if there's a sale going on. Add that deal to your Cartwheel and show the cashier your barcode. I find that if you buy Target brand, there is almost always something between 5%-25% off. This app doesn't give you money back but it gives you instant savings. Scan and save!My total earnings/savings: $41.88 (over about a year and a half)

Acorns (small investment, not exactly savings)Acorns is something I just started a few days ago but I'm kind of excited about. You connect it to your bank account and they take the spare change by rounding up each transaction to the dollar and investing it (ex: Target $32.45=$0.55 invested). HERE is their Youtube vid explaining it a little more.My total Savings: Nothing yet, still waiting for my account to be approved. I'll update once we get the ball rolling here.

Okay these next ones aren't the same kind of savings apps, just two favorites I wanted to share:SkyScannerEasy, simple way to search and book cheap flights. My friend Caroline explained it perfectly on her blog. She explains how she found round trip tickets from LAX to Denmark for $374.00. Recently, I found round trip tickets from Phoenix to Costa Rica for $327.93 ROUND TRIP. (I spend too much time planning pretend vacations).Retail Me NotThis is a simple one I like to use whenever I buy something online or in certain stores. For example, I'll go into Gap and before I check out, I'll check Retail Me Not for any deals going on that day. I don't have a calculated savings for this but let me tell you, it's probably tons.Likeacoupon.comLove this one. Likeacoupon.com a website that just finds great deals from everywhere. I get their emails sent to my phone so I don't miss a deal. For example, they posted a few weeks ago and said to create a College Registry at Target.com and get a $20 gift card. Just a few days ago, mine came in the mail. They post coupon codes and basically lots of ways to save everywhere.

Hope this can help save or earn a few bucks!Oh and if you have any other apps or websites you love PLEASE send it my way!

2 comments:

Before you do any on-line shopping, you should sign up for Ebates, Shop at Home, Topcashback, and/or Savingstar. It doesn't work for Amazon purchases but most other stores it does like Target or Walmart.com or even Groupon. I check each one of those sites before I make an on-line purchase to see which has the highest percentage cash back. Once you reach a certain amount, they just send you a check. I've reached multiple checks from ShopatHome and Ebates. Also, snap by Groupon is like Ibotta or Checkout 51 but their deals seem to "run out" faster. I'm not very consistent with Ibotta or Checkout 51 but now that I have a new phone, I hope that I'm better. Good job on all your money saving!